Car-coupling.



No. 808,593. PATENTBD DEC. 26, 1905. J. ANSON.

GAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED SBPT.14, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

No. 808,593. PATENTED DEC. 26, 19 05. J. ANSON.

CAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED smmm. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNTTE El STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH ANSON, OF BANNOOKBURN, CANADA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- SIXTEENTH TO JOSEPH BEST.

CAR-COUPLING.

, Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 14, 1905. Serial No. 278,474.

Patented Dec. 26, 1905.

To Ml whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH ANsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bannockburn, in the county of Hastings and Province of Ontario and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplers and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in car-couplers: and it consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

One object of the invention is to provide a device of this character in which the coupler head is removable from its stem or the drawbar, so that it may be readily replaced when broken.

Another object of the invention is to provide a car-coupler in which the knuckle is reversible, so that when it is broken or damages at one end it may be reversed and again use Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient device by means of which the knuckle may be quickly swung to its open position without endangering the operator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a coupler having a horizontally-swinging latch, which will be of simple, durable, and comparatively inexpensive construction and very efiicient in use.

The above and other objects are attained by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top view with parts broken away of my improved car-coupler. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section, taken on the plane indicated by the line 2 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view, taken on the plane indicated by the line 3 3 in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the latches or dogs for locking the knuckle. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the pivot-pin or shaft for said latches or dogs, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the lever for swinging the knuckle to its open position.

Referring to the drawings by numeral, 1 denotes a coupler-head which is removably secured in a stem, draw-bar, or other draft connection 2. The connection 2 is formed at its end with a polygonal socket 3, having a flared outer portion 4, and the head is formed at its inner end with a stem or shank 5, which is adapted to enter the socket 3, the curved inner end of the head 1 fitting within the flared portion 4, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The head is removably secured in the connection 2, preferably by a pin or the like 6, which is passed through alining openings in the flared portion 4 and the head 1. By removing the pin 6 it will be seen that the coupler-head may be readily removed from the stem or draw-bar 2.

The coupler-head 1 is hollow and formed at one side with a horizontally-disposed partition 8, above and below which is mounted a two-part knuckle 9. The parts or sections of this knuckle are independent of each other, and each is pivoted upon a pin 10, which extends through alining apertures formed in the partition 8 and in the top and bottom of the coupler-head. Each of the sections of the knuckle 9 is of substantially U form and has at its angles openings 11, through which the pin 10 may be passed, so that said knuckle may be reversed in the event that one of its ends 12 becomes broken or damaged. It will be seen that by removing the pin 10 (shown in Fig. 1) and turning the knuckle over said pin may be readily passed through the other opening 11 and the opposite end of the knuckle used. In each of the ends 12 of the knuckle is formed a vertical opening 13 to receive a pin 14. By providing the openings 13 and the pin 14 it will be seen that a link may be readily connected to the coupler by inserting the same in the space between the two sections of the outer end of the knuckle and then inserting the pin 14 in the openings 13, so that said pin passes through the link. The top and bottom of the couplerhead 1 are also formed with openings 15, which are adapted to aline with the openings 13 in the ends 12 of the knuckle, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the pin 14 may be passed through the alining openings 15 and 13 to lock the knuckle in the position shown or to lock the knuckle in its reverse position or when a link is used.

In order to cause the knuckle to lock automatically when swung to its closed position, I provide a pair of latches or locking-dogs 16, each of which is similar in form and secured upon a polygonal-shaped portion 17 of a pivot or shaft 18. The latter has a transverse inclination, as shown in Fig. 3, and is mounted in the hollow portion of the head 1, so that it has limited sliding and rotary movements. This is effected by forming said pivot 18 at its lower end with a reduced cylindrical portion 19, which projects through an opening in the bottom of the head 1 and is provided with a stop 20, and by forming the upper end of said pivot with an enlarged cylindrical portion 21, which slides and rotates in an opening 22, formed in the top of the head 1. The said upper end of the pin 18 is formed with a flange 23 to limit its inward and downward movement and with an angularly-proj ecting arm 24, to which may be connected a chain or other device for operating thelatches or locking-dogs. These latches or dogs 16 have at one side a projecting portion or shoulder 25 and at their opposite side a similar portion or shoulder 26. The latter is adapted to engage an enlargement 27 within the head 1 to limit the swinging movement of the latches or dogs in one direction, and the projection or shoulder 25 is adapted to engage a portion 28 within the coupler-head 1 to limit the swinging movement of said latches in the reverse direction. The outer or free ends of the latches or dogs 16 coact with lugs 29, which are provided upon the central portions of the sections of the knuckle 9, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. It will be seen that the knuckle is locked by the engagement of these lugs with the ends of the latches or dogs 16 and the engagement of the shoulders 25 of the latter with the shoulder or portion 28 of the coupler-head. In releasing the knuckle 9 the latches or do s 16 are swung outwardly from the knuck e and upwardly, so that the lower portion of the lowermost latch or dog 16, which is shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, engages a seat 30, formed within the coupler-head 1 upon its bottom. This seat has a curved portion 32, which coacts with the curved portion 33 of the latch 16 to permit the latter to readily slide up upon the seat 30, as will be seen upon reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings.

In order to permit the knuckle 9 to be quickly swung to its open position without inserting the hand in front of the couplerhead or between two car-couplers upon approaching trains and thereby endangering the operator, I provide a lever 35, which is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 6 of the drawings. This lever is loosely pivoted intermediate its ends between lugs 36, formed upon the exterior of the coupler-head 1 by passing a pivot-bolt 37 through alining apertures in said lugs and through an elongated slot 38,

formed in said lever. One end of the lever 35 is bifurcated or forked to form two curved claws 39, which project through slots or openings 40, formed in the coupler-head 1, and engage the lugs 29 upon the sections of the knuckle 9. lever 35 may be connected a chain or any other suitable device for operating it. It will be seen that when the lever is swung in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings and the latches 16 are swung upwardly and rearwardly out of the path of the lugs 29 the knuckle will be swung to its open position.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without re quiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a car-coupler, the combination of a head, a knuckle pivoted thereto, and an angularly and vertically movable locking-dog for the knuckle, having a laterally-inclined pivot, substantially as described.

2. In a car-coupler, the combination of a head, a knuckle pivoted thereto, and an angularly and vertically movable locking-dog for the knuckle having a laterally-inclined pivot, said head and said locking-dog having coacting devices to limit the angular movement of said do substantially as described.

3. A car-coupler comprising a head having a chamber formed therein, a knuckle pivoted in said head to swing into said chamber, a lug upon said knuckle, a horizontally-swinging locking-dog pivotally mounted in said head and adapted to engage the interior of the same and said lug to lock said knuckle in its closed position, and a lever upon said head adapted to coact with said lug to swing said knuckle to its open position.

4. A car-coupler havin a head, a plurality of pivotally-mounted knuckle-sections capable of independent angular movement, and a lever to simultaneously move the said knuckle-sections into open'position, substantially as described.

5. A car-coupler having a head, a pivotally-mounted knuckle having an outstanding lug on its outer side, and a lever engagin said lug, pivotally mounted on the head an having a shiftable pivotal axis, substantially as described.

6. A car-coupler having a head, a pivotally-mounted knuckle having an outstanding lug on its outer side, a locking-dog to engage To the opposite end of the TIO one side of said lug and lock the knuckle in my hand in presence of two subscribing witcoupled position, aulil a lewfier to engag}: the nesses. opposite side 0 sai 11g an move the nuc- I kle to open position when said knuckle has JOSEPH ANSON' 5 been released by said dog, substantially as Witnesses:

described. FRANK SHELDON,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set WALTER SHELDON. 

